Harry Potter and the Unforgettable Summer
by lildreamer7
Summary: UPDATED! They are not ready...and we are running out of time. I know, the headmaster replied, glancing up at one of the portraits in his office. But there are no others. HHr.
1. The Portkey

**Title: **Harry Potter and the Unforgettable Summer

**Author:** lildreamer

**Rating:** K+

**Pairings:** eventual HP/HG

**Spoilers:** There will be many references to years 1 through 5…So Be Warned!

**Summary:** "They are not ready…and we are running out of time." "I know," the headmaster replied, glancing up at one of the portraits in his office. "But there are no others."

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter or his world. They are the property of J. K. Rowling. I'm just borrowing them :)

**A/N:** This is meant to take place the summer before their sixth year, before Harry is brought to the Burrow by Dumbledore. And this is my first Harry Potter fic...so please, be nice!

**All right, on with the story…**

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Harry Potter swayed lazily back-and-forth on the park swing, his gaze distant, his mind a million miles away. The summer sun was beating down on him, beads of sweat dotting his forehead, but he didn't seem to notice. His thoughts were focused on the previous school year and what had transpired at the Ministry. The confrontation with the Death Eaters had proved disastrous. He and his friends would have lost their lives that night had it not been for the timely arrival of the Order. They had been spared for the time being, but at a great cost. The Order had lost one of their own that night. But even more, Harry had lost the only person that had come close to being like a father to him.

He could still remember the look on Sirius' face when the killing curse had hit his body. The shock. The confusion. The remorse. And finally the sad acceptance as he fell backward through the dark archway. Bellatrix stood there cackling triumphantly and Harry had wanted nothing more than to make her pay for what she'd done. And he'd almost succeeded in doing so, had he not been stopped by Dumbledore.

In the end, the events of that evening had awakened them all to a terrible realization: they were not ready. _He_ was not ready. If they could not successfully fend off Voldemort's followers, how then would they fare against Voldermort himself? Even with everything they were learning at Hogwarts, their magic paled in comparison to those of the dark lord and his followers. Mere jinxes and curses were not enough. They all desperately needed more training. The only problem was…they were running out of time.

Harry pulled himself from his thoughts, bringing the swing to a halt. He wiped his sleeves across his forehead and squinted through the glare toward the line of trees surrounding the park. Something moved. He blinked, unsure of what he'd seen. Perhaps it was only his imagination. But then, there it was again. A rustling of leaves. A shadow in the trees. Then it was gone. He stood from the swing and carefully made his way toward where he'd seen the shadow. He peered into the thick clump of trees. It was dark and gloomy, the tops of the trees creating a canopy that blocked out most of the sunlight. There was a sound in the darkness ahead and he headed toward it, his hand reaching for the wand hidden inside his pocket. Something wasn't right.

He treaded carefully through the forest, the dead leaves crunching beneath his feet. It was quiet here. A little too quiet. There were no birds or insects. No animal sounds of any kind. The silence was deafening. Then he heard it. A twig snapped to his right. He whirled around, his wand now completely drawn from his pocket and held high in front of him.

"Who's there?" he called into the trees.

There was no response, save for the ominous whistling of the wind through the trees. He kept walking. The forest was growing darker and thicker and it was getting hard to see where he was going. More than once he'd almost fallen, tripping over a rock or log or anything else lying on the ground. He had no choice. He glanced around as if to check if he was being watched, then flicked his wand.

"_Lumos!_"

The tip of his wand lit up brightly, casting an eerily glow throughout his surroundings. He looked around, trying to remember which way he'd come. But all the trees looked the same.

_Wonderful_. He thought. _I'm lost._

"Psst…"

Harry glanced around wildly, the light from his wand playing over the many tree trunks and branches. "Who said that? Who's there?"

There was a rustle of wings overhead then, "Over here…"

Harry peered into the darkness trying to discern where the voice had come from. "Where?"

"Here." There was laughter like that of a child then footsteps running through the trees. "_Periculum!_"

A shower of red sparks suddenly shot up through the trees and into the sky, momentarily illuminating the entire forest. Harry looked around and finally spotted something lying in a crumpled heap on the forest floor. He approached cautiously as the red glow died down, leaving his wand as the only light once again. He pointed his wand down at the spot and found an old rag doll lying there, staring up at him with its button eyes. He bent down to study it and as soon as his fingers touched it, a strange but familiar sensation coursed through his body. He felt the tug behind his navel and the magical force envelope him.

The doll was a portkey.

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**Hmm…what do you think will happen next? Where did you think Harry will end up? Review to find out!**


	2. Hermione and the Lake

**Hey, everyone! Here's another chapter! Hope you like! Enjoy!**

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Harry landed painfully on his back and lay sprawled out on a bed of leaves. He groaned, opening his eyes. They rolled about lazily for a moment, trying to focus on something, and finally, after a few blinks, he could see the sun brightly shining down from a clear blue sky, the tall trees surrounding him, swaying gently in the breeze. He was still in the forest. Or at least he thought he was.

He picked himself up and dusted himself off, looking around at his surroundings. This was not the same forest he had gotten lost in earlier. Not the common, everyday kind with trees the size of telephone poles all close together and stickery bushes between them. No, this was something out of a Tolkien or Lewis fantasy, a wondrous, otherworldly place where the earth was soft and deep with moss and peat; where tiny white wildflowers twinkled in the green carpet, iridescent bugs with fairy wings flickered in the sunbeams, and every footstep was muffled in the pulverized red bark of a million trees that lived there before. The Forbidden Forest back at Hogwarts was nothing compared to this place. Harry was sure he'd read about this place in one of the books Hermione had given him for his birthday. This was where hobbits and elves, fairies and princesses, knights and ogres had their adventures and intrigues, and where all nature of mischievous creatures lived among the snaking, claw-foot roots.

A brown, snake-like creature suddenly slithered past his feet and disappeared behind a rock. He jumped back a little and chuckled to himself, reminded of a friend back at Hogwarts. The enormous Care of Magical Creatures professor who held such a fondness for all sorts of creatures, no matter how dangerous they could be.

He bent down to pick up his wand and noticed that something was missing. The rag doll, which was his only way back, was nowhere to be found. _Wonderful. I'm stuck here. Wherever here is._

His fingers had just grasped his wand when he heard a yelp not too far off followed by a loud splash. Someone was in trouble. He scooped up his wand and ran toward the sound. Terrified shrieks and the sound of splashing water filled his ears. After a few moments, he ran out into a clearing and found himself standing at the shore of a beautiful, blue lake. He stood there, confused, for a moment. Since when was there a lake in Little Whinging? When had there ever been a lake there?

"Harry!!!"

He glanced around, the frantic scream pulling him from his thoughts, and finally spotted someone in the middle of the lake, thrashing about wildly in the water, trying desperately to stay afloat. The person's head went under momentarily than came back up, coughing up mouthfuls of water.

Harry's eyes widened and his heartbeat quickened. He knew her. Her long, brown hair was unmistakable.

It was _Hermione_!

He made a mad dash for the water and dove in. He felt the cool water soak through his clothes and penetrate through to his skin, sending a shiver through his entire body. But he kept on going. As he swam, he was reminded of the second task of the Triwizard Tournament, a competition he had been forced to participate in during his fourth year at Hogwarts. The first task had not been easy and the second had proven even more difficult. He could still remember the mermaid's song and could almost hear it as he swam toward Hermione.

_Come seek us where our voices sound_

_We cannot sing above the ground,_

_And while you're searching, ponder this:_

_We've taken what you'll sorely miss…_

The Black Lake had been swimming with grindylows and other creatures of the deep, intent on keeping him from finding and rescuing the "treasure" that had been taken from him during the night. And had it not been for his determination to rescue not just Ron but the others as well, he would have received first place instead of third. But the judges had been gracious that day and had awarded him second place for what Dumbledore had called "moral fiber."

But there was only one person in need of rescuing today, and this time Krum was not there to save her. But Harry was. And he fought the water bravely trying to get to her in time.

"I'm coming, Hermione!" Harry called as Hermione's head disappeared beneath the water for a second time. It was almost as if there was something down there, pulling on her. Trying to drown her. She floated back up a second later, taking in a huge, spluttering breath.

Harry's arms and legs were beginning to ache, from both the cool temperature of the water and the tremendous strain he was putting on them. But he pushed his body to keep going. He had to save his friend. And soon. From the look on her face, Hermione wouldn't last much longer. She was fighting now to stay conscious and her arms weren't flailing around as much as they had been. She was getting tired.

"Hermione! Hold on!"

_An hour long you'll have to look,_

_To recover what we took…_

At the tournament, he'd had a full hour to find and rescue Ron. But here, he'd been given even less time to save Hermione.

Harry was almost there when the unthinkable happened. Overcome by exhaustion, Hermione had completely abandoned any form of movement. She glanced briefly at Harry, gently smiling her goodbye, then her eyes fluttered and Harry watched in horror as her body sank like a rock into the murky depths of the lake. _No…_

"Hermione!" Harry took a deep breath and dove beneath the water, searching for where his friend had gone down. He spotted her almost immediately, floating lifelessly above a garden of kelp, her ankle tangled in one of the vines. As he gazed at her pale form, an image of what she had looked like at the bottom of the Black Lake during the tournament flashed in his mind. She looked almost the same…with one exception. In the tournament, she hadn't actually drowned, she'd been put under a powerful spell. But there was no spell this time, Hermione really was drowning.

Harry swam over to her and began pulling at the vine, trying to free her. But the plant was coiled too tightly around her foot. In desperate need of air, he noted Hermione's exact location in his mind, then quickly swam back up to the surface. He took in heaving gulps of air as he floated there, trying to think of a way to free his friend. He thought about using his wand, but then remembered that he couldn't speak underwater. Not without the help of gillyweed anyway. He slammed his fists into the water, frustrated. His wand was useless here. Magic was useless.

More determined than ever to save Hermione, Harry took another deep breath and plunged into the water once more. He couldn't give up. He couldn't just let her drown. He would not allow Hermione to die. He swam around, scanning the bottom of the lake for anything he could use to cut the vines. He finally chose a jagged-looking rock that had been hiding a starfish. He quickly scooped it up, returned to the surface for another much needed breath, then went to save his best friend.

He tried to saw and hack through the vines with the rock, but to his dismay, the plant would not break. It remained firmly in place, refusing to release Hermione. What kind of a plant was this? He'd never seen anything so tough.

Becoming desperate, Harry began hitting and pulling at the vine with all his might. _C'mon, you stupid plant! Let her go!_

But it would not be moved.

Hanging his head in defeat, Harry let the rock slide from his fingers and swam up to Hermione so they were face to face. He lifted his hand and touched her cheek sadly.

He couldn't save her.

A single, lonely tear fell quietly from his eyes. _I'm sorry…_

_But past an hour—the prospect's black,_

_Too late, it's gone, it won't come back._

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**Oh no…what happens next? Will Hermione survive? Will Harry survive? Review to find out!**


	3. Drowning

**Hey, people! Here's another chapter! Thanx 4 all the reviews! Enjoy!**

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Breathe. 

He desperately needed to breathe. But he knew instinctively that if he opened his mouth to try to suck in a breath, he would die. Gritting his teeth fiercely, knowing there was nothing more he could do for his friend, Harry turned his face upward, toward the feeble light, and after an agonizing few seconds during which he had the horrifying sense that he was sinking, not rising, his head broke the surface. He sucked in a huge, spluttering breath.

Then something suddenly hissed angrily from the bottom of the lake. He whirled around, turning his gaze back down toward where he'd left Hermione. Something had happened.

Fearing the worst, Harry took a series of quick, deep breaths, hyperventilating to force as much oxygen as possible into his lungs, then slipped back under the water. He quickly swam toward the floating form of his friend, but found no danger there. Instead there was something else, something that made Harry's heart skip a beat.

The plant had shrunk back as if it had come into contact with something hot, uncoiling its tentacle-like vines from Hermione's foot. She was now floating freely, just above the vines. Something had made the plant release her.

Springing into action, Harry reached out and pulled Hermione to his side. Wrapping his arm around her waist, he began towing her toward the surface. But this task was proving far more difficult than he had first realized. Progress was slow. So slow. The extra weight was slowing him down. Harry closed his eyes, and even as his lungs started hungrily demanding air, he tried to find a calm place in his mind so he could control his body.

_C'mon! Swim! _He ordered himself._ You can do it! Focus! Concentrate! Believe!_

His lungs were screaming and his thought processes were beginning to go fuzzy due to lack of oxygen. The muscles in his arms and legs were throbbing. He focused his mind. He was so tired. It would've been so easy to just let the water take him.

_No! Ignore it! Keep swimming, Harry! Do it! You're Hermione's only hope!_

His entire body was aching now. But he hardly felt the pain. He was a machine now, with just one purpose: to get to the surface. To save his best friend's life.

_Swim, Harry. Just a bit farther. Swim._

As he neared the surface, he could feel his lungs about to give out. In the next five seconds he would take a breath and they would fill with water. For Hermione it was probably already too late. She'd been underwater with no oxygen for far too long. With his last ounce of willpower he kicked his legs, propelling himself upward. But he didn't go very far. He didn't have the strength. He was beaten.

As the last molecules of oxygen disappeared from his lungs, a wild carousel of thoughts started racing around his brain.

_Sirius. _He would never see his godfather again. He wouldn't even know that he had died here, in this strange, godforsaken place. He would never know that Harry's last thoughts had been about him.

Then he remembered. Sirius was dead. He died a few months ago at the Ministry, fighting off a band of death eaters.

And now he was about to join him. With that thought, Harry's body seemed to relax, accepting its fate, and he felt himself begin to slip back down, deeper into the water.

_No!_ He couldn't give up. He couldn't let the enemy win at last. He had to survive until the final battle with Voldemort. He had to survive to fulfill his destiny.

But first he had to save Hermione.

And then…at that moment, he felt a strange force brushing against his mind.

_Help me_. He pleaded.

In a dream of sinking and sinking, he reached out to a vast and powerful magical force that he could not define. He reached out to it for strength.

_Swim! Get to the surface! Get to the shore, then you can rest._

The water around him suddenly began to churn, surrounding both he and Hermione in a swirling vortex of water. Then with a violent wrench, they shot up through the water and were spewed out onto the shore.As the waters still surged over him, Harry managed at last to take a huge gulp of air—along with a large mouthful of water—into his lungs.

Choking violently, he raised himself up onto his hands and knees, and for the first time in what seemed an eternity, he was fully out of the water, caressed by an icy blast of precious air. And then a head of sopping wet, brown hair was hugging him tightly around the neck, crying with joy as air filled her own lungs.

"Oh, Harry!"

It couldn't be. It was impossible. But there she was. Hugging him with all her might, nearly cutting off his air supply. But he didn't care. _She was alive._

Hermione was alive!

"H-Her-Hermione!" Harry hugged her back just as tightly, and found that he was gasping, laughing, and crying for joy all at the same time.

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**Phew…she's all right. Wonder what happens next? Review!**


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